MOSCOW. March 22 (Interfax-AVN) - At Russian-U.S. negotiations on strategic offensive weapons and missile defense held in Geneva on Thursday and Friday, Moscow put forward new proposals on draft agreements that should be concluded during U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Russia in May.
At the Geneva talks, which also dealt with "establishing new strategic relations between Russia and the U.S.," the Russian party "delivered reports on Russia's nuclear doctrine and prospects for interaction in the missile defense sphere," the Russian Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Friday.
In this connection, "a convergence between the Russian and U.S. positions on a number of issues was recorded," it said.
The participants in the Geneva negotiations attached particular importance to coordinating "a Russian-American agreement on the further reduction of strategic offensive weapons and a declaration on new strategic relations, which could be signed during George W. Bush's visit to Russia."
The fourth and last round of the talks on strategic weapons will be held in Moscow on April 23-24.
The Russian delegation at these talks is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov and the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton.